[Anonymous]

Konica Minolta’s Latest MFP Focuses on Security
June 
2007 Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. on June 5 launched its
latest multifunction printer, the bizhub C451, which includes advanced
security features that help to authenticate users as well as encrypt
crucial data.Security is one of the main concerns of enterprises as
individuals risk their passwords being stolen or lost with each
document that they print, scan, copy or fax, Keith Kmetz, an analyst
with research company IDC, told eWEEK.”We are seeing an increased
concern around security, leading to the development of several security
features,” said Kmetz.The bizhub’s C451 authentication tool, known as
the Biometric Authentication Unit, helps to eliminate those risks by
taking the vein patterns of a user’s finger and scanning, encrypting
and storing them to help distinguish individuals.”This leading-edge
security system will benefit users across many industries and
departments, including legal and human resources, as it offers the
ability to truly secure documents on the network,” Kevin P. Kern, vice
president of product planning and developing at the Ramsey, N.J.-based
Konica Minolta Business Solutions, told eWEEK.Kmetz said he believes
that biometrics as a whole is an advanced level of security that
bypasses most security problems such as passwords being stolen or
lost.”Biometrics can be used to ensure that the user has been
authorized to use the device,” Kmetz said. “It’s hard to ‘steal’
fingerprints.”The bizhub C451 also features a hard drive overwrite
function with optional encryption, which enables users to erase data
stored on the device’s hard disk drive or memory by overwriting it with
a series of characters. The data is erased when the copy, print, scan
or fax job is completed.”I’d expect to see printer and copier vendors
explore more sophisticated security solutions for MFPs [multifunction
printers] now and into the future,” Kmetz said. “This could mean more
biometrics or perhaps even something more identifiable with authorized
users.”The C451, the successor to the bizhub C450, prints 45 pages per
minute in color. It also offers scanning, copying and faxing
capabilities that enable users to be productive with one color MFP
instead of separate devices, according to Kern.”The bizhub C451 is
designed to be a true color replacement for monochrome devices, which
will further drive the shift to color here in the U.S.,” Kern said.”The
MFP reflects an ongoing transition in the market from monochrome-only
devices to color-capable machines,” Kmetz said. “While IDC sees the
monochrome market maintaining a majority share of the laser-based
market, color is demonstrating significantly stronger growth than the
maturing monochrome market.”The C451 also features an on-board color
touch-screen control panel that features a thumbnail preview and allows
users to program shortcut keys for frequently used copy and scan/fax
functions. It also features a tandem laser print head, which provides
users with image quality and reliability, Kern said.”As with all the
next-generation bizhub MFPs, the C451’s new 360-degree design makes it
aesthetically pleasing from any angle so it can be centered in a busy
work area,” Kern said.The bizhub C451 is available now for $21,000.

[Author]

June 12, 2007 at 1:59 PM